Cheetah 1965
Cheetah 1965
A can of worms doesn't open itself.
Patrick Maruska Seattle WA USA.
I forgot to note the Cheetah has doors similar to the Mercedes 300sl and another car from the 80's that was featured in a movie with Michael J Fox.
A can of worms doesn't open itself.
Patrick Maruska Seattle WA USA.
Location: Middleburg Heights, OH
Posts: 1,939
I think the Cheetah has the engine one third of the way from the front, two-thirds from the back (based on the air filter). Not really the middle.
As Rich W said, pretty much every single modern monster truck I've seen has the engine exactly in the middle (note: D-Rex is vintage, thus not modern). It used to be in the front a few decades ago, but they have since integrated it into the frame, partially because it's entirely protected by the frame (preventing damage and thus fire), and partially because it is in the gravitational center of the car, both front-to-back and top-to-bottom.
Location: Middleburg Heights, OH
Posts: 1,939
Posts: 14
My VIN: 007008
mid-engine......kind of
I lost a bet before on the cheetahs engine place. My buddies Pops has one and i was saying my Lotus Esprits engine was closer to centerline then a front engined car. We measured and sure enough, the Cheetah's engine was closer. Only reason i had any idea.
A can of worms doesn't open itself.
Patrick Maruska Seattle WA USA.
Location: Woodbine, MD
Posts: 182
My VIN: 02650
Club(s): (DMA)
Keep in mind that from an engineering standpoint, there's no reason to want the engine itself in the center of the wheelbase. The goal is to have the overall vehicle's CENTER OF MASS in the center which must accommodate the DRIVER also. So the center of the wheelbase will typically end up somewhere between the driver and the engine.
NOTE: This is all assuming you're shooting for a vehicle with a 50/50 weight distribution.
Last edited by protodelorean; 09-14-2012 at 08:38 AM.